After coming into the game on an 0 for 15 slide, Rickard reached base five times and drove in two runs against the team that drafted before losing him in the Rule 5 draft in 2015. He has 28 RBI in 36 career games against the Rays.

"Oh man, it's just a coincidence that it happened," he said, "but it's nice to get a good win."

Tommy Pham had four hits, included his third home run of the season for the Rays, but was picked off while trying to steal third base with the score tied in the ninth after Avisail Garcia homered off Mychal Givens.

Austin Meadows led off the first for Tampa Bay with a double off the top of the center-field wall off Baltimore starter Andrew Cashner. Meadows scored on Pham's single to put the Rays up 1-0.

Pham's homer in the third off Cashner tied it for the Rays, but the Orioles went out in front again on Severino's blast off Beeks to lead off the fourth.

Rickard led off the seventh with a triple and scored on a single by Richie Martin to put Baltimore up 4-2. Smith's sacrifice fly in the eighth made it 5-2.

But the Rays stormed back to tie it. Mike Zunino's two-run double cut Baltimore's lead to 5-4 after a couple of walks in the eighth. Garcia tied it with a long home run off Mychal Givens in the ninth.

Cashner gave up two runs on five hits in five innings while striking out six for Baltimore.

"We almost came back and won it," Pham said. "It's a pretty loss. You'd rather have the ugly win, but it's a pretty loss."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: RHP Alex Cobb (lumbar strain) will come off his second stint on the injured list to start Friday night's game.

Rays: LHP Blake Snell (broken fourth right toe) threw for a second straight day and might have a bullpen session Saturday. . . . IF Joey Wendle (strained left hamstring) is likely to be activated this weekend.

SIX-MAN ROTATION OPTIONS

Cobb's return to the Orioles' pitching rotation, Means goes to the bullpen. But Means (1-2, 1.98) will get another start sometime after Thursday's off day. "Means is going to make a lot of starts," Hyde said. "It's something we're going to play with because I do like John in the rotation. He's pitching really well and deserves to stay in the rotation."

UP NEXT

Orioles: Cobb (0-0, 3.18) will make his second start of the season in the opener of a three-game series against Minnesota in Baltimore.